Gabriel immediately noticed that Teresa did not fight alongside the rest of his friends. He engaged the Apollyons, with both sword and magic, forcing them to fall back. The imprints he held left him almost evenly matched with the two Dark Mages. He nicked one of the Apollyons in the arm with his blade, and the two suddenly vanished.
“Where’s Teresa?” Gabriel looked between the others.
“We were looking for her when we ran into the Apollyons.” Ohin turned to follow the sound of a nearby explosion.
“We need to…” Gabriel’s words and thoughts vanished in a roar of wind and exploding arcs of lightning as gravity pulled him upward into the sky. He saw Ohin and the other members of the team trapped with him, spinning in the tornado of electricity and debris. He tried to undo the magic creating the whirlwind around them, but it held fast against every attempt to dissolve it. Seeing his companions suffering as blue-white bolts encased them, Gabriel did the one thing he could think of — concentrating all of his power in the form of Wind Magic, he pushed them out of the cyclone and into the empty sky beyond its walls of turbulent air.
Unfortunately, the sky did not prove to be entirely empty. Six Apollyons hovered in the air around the windstorm of caustic energy they controlled. They spotted Gabriel and pushed the maelstrom of lightning toward him. He did not try to fight. He jumped through space, taking Ohin and the rest of his team with him.
He appeared with the team a moment later in the main square of the fort in front of the Council Hall. Ohin staggered and fell to the ground. The others already lay there. Gabriel’s legs wobbled, but he managed to keep his feet. He watched a Time Mage near the street corner take a small group of Grace Mages away from the fort. The Council Hall marked one of the eight evacuation sites where everyone had been trained to assemble in the event that they needed to abandon the fort.
“You have to take the others away.” Gabriel reached out a hand to help Ohin to his feet. “I’ll find Teresa.”
“There are too many of them for you to fight,” Ohin said, gasping for breath.
“I’m not going to fight unless I have to.” Gabriel looked up as he felt magical energy forming in the sky above. He didn’t wait for it to coalesce. He leapt through space again, taking Ohin and the team with him as the Council Hall exploded in a flash of brilliant light.
Across the square, Gabriel watched as the Council Hall crumbled in smoke and ash. The Apollyons were never very inventive with their magical assaults, but they were quick to adopt any innovations. They were employing the same type of gravity lens created by Wind Magic that Gabriel had used against them in defending Windsor Castle.
“Go now,” Gabriel said to Ohin, before turning and running into the middle of the square. He knew the eight Apollyons above would target him. He was the reason they had attacked the fort in the first place. He needed to distract them long enough to allow everyone else to flee. And he needed to find Teresa. And, if there was time, he needed to retrieve something from his room.
He raised his hands to the sky, shouting to the Apollyons above, trying to draw their attention. One of them turned his head in Gabriel’s direction, their eyes locking for a fraction of a second. Gabriel jumped through space to the top of the fort wall as the earth in the square exploded in light and heat.
They found him again quickly enough, the wall of logs erupting in flames as he leapt through space to the rear of the fort near the main gate. He deliberately picked places that were far from the designated escape sites, hoping to give the residents of the outpost more time to retreat. He noticed Akikane appear briefly behind one of the Apollyons, hovering in the sky. Both suddenly disappeared, a cloud of dust billowing into the air from a bone rattling impact outside the fortress walls.
Gabriel leapt through space again to avoid the impossible heat of the gravity lens. He appeared near the barracks and saw Teresa crouched behind a fallen wall. He gathered his magic to jump to her, but the direction of her gaze and the intensity of the look upon her face drew his attention toward his side of the street. Leah and Liam hid beneath the bed of an empty wagon. He sensed the magical lens shifting toward his new position. He teleported to the roof of a nearby building as the ground he had occupied melted into black char, the building behind it going up in flames.
He watched Leah and Liam run down the street even as he noticed two of Kumaradevi’s Dark Mages turning the corner. They grabbed the children, and Gabriel yelled instinctively. He nearly allowed the distraction of the children’s capture to delay his next jump through space. He appeared atop another building with a view of the street, his hair singed and the back of his hands burnt.
He watched as Teresa launched a volley of lightning balls at the retreating Dark Mages. One of them, obviously a Fire Mage, deflected the assault while the other used Wind Magic to throw an overturned cart in Teresa’s path. Teresa rolled and dodged the flying wooden wreckage, bounding to her feet, both hands blazing with beams of white-hot plasma. The two Dark Mages disappeared around the corner of a building, an energy beam clipping the Dark Fire Mage’s leg.
Teresa screamed curses as she ran after the Dark Mages who had captured Leah and Liam. Gabriel leapt through space again as the roof he stood upon became a scorched hole of cinders. He appeared on the other side of the fort, hoping to draw attention away from Teresa and her attempt to free Leah and Liam. While he needed get Teresa away to safety before the Apollyons or Kumaradevi’s soldiers captured her, he also could not risk appearing anywhere near her or the children until he had figured out how to deal with the Apollyons who were trying to incinerate him from the sky. To do so would jeopardize all their lives. He could only afford to do that if they were near enough together that he could try to jump away through time with all three of them.
He magically pushed himself through space again as the heat of a thousand suns vaporized the ground where he had stood. A second later he appeared where he assumed he would see Teresa battling the two Dark Mages of Kumadevi’s troops. Instead, he found Leah and Liam huddled together in the street. He saw no sign of either Teresa or the Dark Mages. Then something odd prickled his mind. The warping of space-time above him.
He looked up to find that the six Apollyons who had doggedly attempted to incinerate him had disappeared. He sensed several more twists in the fabric of space-time close together. With the last of these, a strange silence fell upon the fort. Explosions no longer reverberated through the air or shook the ground. People shouted and called for help, but the sounds of battle had retreated. How could that be possible?
“Teresa!” Gabriel looked around frantically as he ran toward Leah and Liam. They saw him coming and rushed to cling to his legs.
“Where’s Teresa?” Gabriel placed his arms around the two children. “Did you see where she went?”
“They took her.” Liam sobbed in terror.
“She tried to save us and they took her.” Leah buried her face in Gabriel’s shirt.
He held the children tight as he stared around at the burning buildings. He perceived space-time bending slightly and tensed, ready to fight. He relaxed as Akikane appeared before him.
“What is it, what is it?” Akikane asked, seeing the stricken look on Gabriel’s face.
“They’ve taken Teresa,” Gabriel said. “I think she was who they wanted.”
“Yes, yes.” Akikane shook his head. “Easier to capture, easier to interrogate, and better as a hostage.”
“She knows everything we’ve discovered about the Great Barrier.” Gabriel’s head spun with dizziness.
“Indeed, indeed.” Akikane placed a hand on Gabriel’s shoulder to steady him. “We will find her. But for now, we must leave this place.”
Gabriel nodded and gently pushed the still weeping Leah and Liam into Akikane’s arms. “Take Leah and Liam with you. I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point. I need to get something I’m going to need to save Teresa.”
Chapter 19
“The Council majority has spoken. You are both hereby off
icially stripped of your titles of office. New elections will be scheduled immediately to secure replacements for your seats. There will now be a vote to determine the new temporary Head of Council. Please clear the Council chamber.”
The words echoed among the wooden rafters of the high-ceilinged room as they resounded through Gabriel’s mind. He stood between Nefferati and Akikane facing a long oak table in the middle of an octagonal room.
The ten remaining council members sat behind the table. Councilman Romanov, the one whose words still rumbled through Gabriel’s head, struck a gavel to the table, emphasizing the finality of the Council’s judgment.
Gabriel did not move to leave. He instead stepped forward. Akikane and Nefferati had accurately predicted how the Council’s review of their tenure would proceed. They had formally requested his presence to give testimony on their behalf. He had barely been allowed to offer answers to a few leading questions. There had been no opportunity to speak in defense of Nefferati and Akikane’s actions.
Convened in Fort Madison in the middle of the Triassic Period, 210 million years in the past, the council members had nearly universally savaged the results of the mission with Vicaquirao and had been especially unforgiving of the recent loss of Fort Aurelius. All the survivors of the attack had been safely evacuated six hours previously. However, five Grace Mages had lost their lives to the Apollyons and Kumaradevi’s troops. The Council placed the blame for the loss of Fort Aurelius directly on Nefferati and Akikane, even though Gabriel had tried to suggest that he might be responsible for the Dark Mages finding the stronghold in the first place.
He could not be certain, but he suspected that the slight space-time distortion he had encountered while retrieving the artifacts and relics from his secret stash in his parents’ backyard shed might not have been some future version of himself. In the wake of the attack on Fort Aurelius, it seemed more likely that either the Apollyons, or Kumaradevi’s Time Mages had been staking out his past in a space-time bubble.
The last moment he saw his parents before his death had a potent emotional pull. The Dark Mages would know this and could have been waiting for him to return, ghosting his time trail back to Fort Aurelius. He had tried to accept responsibility for the attack, but the majority of the council members appeared intent upon placing the blame with Nefferati and Akikane. In the end, only Councilwoman Jones, an Earth Mage and former farmer from Wyoming in the late 1800s, provided the lone vote against deposing Akikane and Nefferati.
Standing between the Council and his two mentors, Gabriel cleared his throat, as much to give himself another moment to consider his course of action as to draw the council members’ attention.
Councilman Romanov turned from speaking with Councilwoman Patel to glare at Gabriel. A pointed beard accented the narrow features of his face. Gabriel remembered that the man had been a minor aristocrat in the Russian court of Catherine the Great. A Time Mage, he was the most likely candidate to become the new Head of Council.
“I asked for this room to be cleared. The Council has business to attend to.”
“I have business with the Council.” Gabriel swallowed, breathing deeply to calm himself. He expected that what was about to happen would go badly, but it might go horribly. Part of that depended on how well he kept his anger under control. Watching the Council remove Nefferati and Akikane from power for doing what he believed needed to be done had left a bonfire of animosity burning in his chest. He could not afford to let that blaze get out of control.
“You may address your concerns to the Council at the proper time through the proper channels.” Councilman Romanov made to turn back to Councilwoman Patel.
“That will be too late.” Gabriel raised his voice to ensure the ten people seated behind the table turned to him as one. “I must petition the Council now.”
Councilman Romanov waved his hand dismissively, but Councilwoman Jones leaned forward to speak first. “What petition do you seek?”
“This is irregular and counter to procedure,” Councilman Romanov said. “It is not following the rules of this chamber that has led to our present circumstances.”
“As we are in a situation where there is no Head of Council, it is within the authority of any one of us to pursue this petition and determine its nature.” Councilwoman Jones turned away from Councilman Romanov.
“She does have a point, and there is precedent.” Councilman Kim folded his hands on the table and looked at Gabriel. He had died in China in 632 CE to be reborn a Wind Mage. In his previous life he had been an ambassador of the Tang Dynasty under Chinese Emperor Tai Zong. He had adapted better than anyone to the politics of the Council of War and Magic. “What is the nature of your petition?”
“As the Council is aware, one of my teammates has been kidnapped by Kumardevi and the Apollyons.” Gabriel inhaled rapidly, focusing on beating down the flames in his chest. “I seek the Council’s support in mounting a rescue mission.”
“You mean you want the Council to risk even more lives than were already lost in order to save your girlfriend.” Councilman Romanov placed his hand on his chin in evident exasperation. “Just minutes ago you tried to convince this council that the attack on Fort Aurelius was likely your responsibility. Now you ask us to reward that lack of judgment by mounting a rescue mission that would undoubtedly cost additional lives. I might blame you for not seeing the folly of this request, but you have obviously been poorly tutored in these matters.”
Gabriel opened his mouth but closed it hastily, refusing to give in to the irritation within him, even as he refused to look back toward Akikane and Nefferati.
“She is more than my girlfriend,” Gabriel said. “She knows more about the Great Barrier than anyone. With her knowledge, the Apollyons may finally be able to destroy it.”
“And what special knowledge does she possess that the Council has not been made aware of?” Councilwoman Patel placed her palms on the table as she straightened in her chair. She had been a merchant in India in the late 1990s running a small electronics company. A Time Mage like Councilman Romanov, she also happened to be his strongest supporter and a constant critic of Nefferati and Akikane.
Gabriel hesitated. Under the advice of Nefferati and Akikane, he and Teresa had kept the full information regarding the Great Barrier to a trusted circle. There had been leaks and betrayals from within the Council before, and they had not wanted to risk such treachery again.
“She knows how the Barrier was created,” Gabriel said.
“What specifically does she know?” Councilman Romanov asked. “Does she know more than you?”
“No, Councilman,” Gabriel said.
“Then tell us what she knows that is so important,” Councilman Romanov said.
“Yes, we have been in the dark concerning these matters for far too long.” Councilman Kim slapped the table for emphasis.
Gabriel looked at the ten faces behind the long table before speaking. He might not like them, might not agree with their decisions, but that did not make them traitors.
“The Great Barrier of Probability was created using both Grace and Malignancy magic, and it is held in place by one hundred and eight anchor points throughout time. If the Apollyons can find these anchor points, they may be able to destroy The Great Barrier. They have been copying themselves for this very reason. We need to know what they have learned from Teresa and how close they are to locating the anchor points.”
The council members did not respond immediately. They seemed shocked by Gabriel’s information.
“You say the Great Barrier was created with both Grace and Malignancy magic?” Councilwoman Patel looked skeptical. “Are you certain?”
“Yes,” Gabriel replied. “I’ve inspected several of the anchor points, and they definitely possess traces of both magics.”
“If this is the case, I do not see the cause for concern.” Councilwoman Patel sat back in her chair. “Does it not stand to reason that the Barrier would also require both magics to destroy it?
”
“No.” Gabriel had deeply hoped the same, but close examination of the anchors points left that notion untenable. “Any Time Mage, Grace or Malignant, with enough imprints at their command could destroy an anchor point.”
“How can you be so certain?” Councilwoman Patel asked. “We should inspect one of these anchor points ourselves. We should have had the opportunity to do so already.”
“I’m positive,” Gabriel said. “It may take dozens of people to build a house, but it only takes one person with a match to burn it to the ground.”
“A frightening metaphor, but completely inappropriate.” Councilman Romanov looked down his nose at Gabriel.
“Not if what he says is true,” Councilwoman Jones said.
“Let’s assume that everything he says is true.” Councilman Romanov turned to Councilwoman Jones with a long sigh, as though speaking to a particularly dense child. “If the Apollyons know about these so-called anchor points, and they have made enough duplicates of themselves to attack them all, then there is very little, if anything, we can do to stop them. We simply do not command the forces necessary to defend so many points in time.”
“Are you suggesting that we capitulate?” Councilwoman Jones shook her head in dismay.
“I am suggesting that we accept the facts before us.” Councilman Romanov’s voice grew louder and more passionate. “We are weakened to the breaking point, and we must focus our limited resources where they provide us the greatest security.”
“Are you forgetting what Nefferati and Akikane told us about the alliance between Kumaradevi and the Apollyons?” Councilwoman Jones asked.
“Not at all,” Councilman Romanov replied. “It is the one piece of news in our favor.”
The Wizard of Time Trilogy (A Fantasy Time Travel Series) Page 77
